Family Formation 

All that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us, we will not hide from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought. Psalm 78

When your child was Baptized, two promises were made. First, God promised to always be with you and your child and make him or her, His own.  Second, parents and godparents make a promise to care for and nurture this child and specifically, to foster their faith and relationship with God.  As children grow up their parents are the primary and sole influencer of their children's faith.  No other person or cultural movement has as great a power over kids than their parents.

At St. Agnes we know that we need to support parents and families in their faith journey. Add now that we celebrate the sacraments in the restored order, the faith of families is even more important. But, instead of seeing the situation as a negative, we are meeting the challenge as an opportunity. 

Our family formation program consists of three elements for KDG to 5th GRADE

• Twice monthly gathered sessions for families at St. Agnes on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the Month
  • 1st Sunday:
    • Combined age/grade group session introducing the curriculum theme for the month.
    •  Adult session for parents on current topics
    • Youth in grades 6-12 have small group discussion
  •  3rd Sunday: Whole family celebration session with brunch-all attend together

At home work as a family between sessions in the BE MY DISCIPLES Series with completion of online reviews and resources.

• Participation in parish community life with:
  • Prayer (Mass, Sacraments, Adoration, Rosary etc.
  • Hospitality and Community (donut Sunday, Bible Studies, Badge Days, Parish Events)
  • Mission and Service activities (Family Service Days, food donations, volunteering in the parish as liturgical ministers, community service projects, etc)

Children are invited to celebrate the sacraments in grade 2-First Reconciliation and Grade 3-Confirmation and First Eucharist. Preparation for the sacraments requires completion of grade 1 Family Formation, Registration in the parish, valid Baptism, and regular Mass attendance.  Proximate preparation begins in the winter of grade 2 with First Reconciliation and then moves into Confirmation and First Communion preparation which bridges over into the fall of Grade 3.

It is expected that families will participate in formation even after sacraments are celebrated.  Your child will receive the Gifts of the Spirit and be fully initiated into the faith at Confirmation.  He or she will be able to receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the rest of life.  In order to sustain a relationship with God, children need to part of a family of faith and a community. These sacraments prepare us to be disciples of Jesus and are just the beginning of a life long journey.  Formation, prayer, service and participation in the Eucharist are necessary to fulfill that mission. And, there is so much more to explore about our faith!

Teens in Grades 6 to 12 have a new opportunity to live out their faith, learn more and contribute to the community.  EMMAUS TEENS will meet for a Drop-In/Cafe on the first Sunday (at the same time as the younger children). There will be MONTHLY EVENTS and SMALL GROUP time during the month.  Teens can also be part of the EMMAUS COMPANIONS Program and work with a mentor one on one. They can also serve as assistants to the younger grades at their sessions. Please register these youth on this form.

For questions or more information please contact:
Cathy Becker, Director of Faith Formation
cbecker@stagnescathoicparish.org
217-793-1330